I'm Waiting for You
by hellomysweetheart
Summary: A mistake on a mission roster lands Sakura in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Now, she's at the mercy of Itachi Uchiha and the rest of the Akatsuki!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey, readers! Guess who's back?**  
**Well, I guess that's kind of obvious. Anyway, here's my revised version of chapter 1!**

**For those of you who were fans of the original story, thank you so much for reading and giving me feedback.**  
**This revised story is going to be quite a bit different than the original, so hopefully it will come out as a fresh, new take on the original.**

**As always, please review!**  
**In order for me to improve as a writer, I'm definitely going to need your help.**  
**Tell me what you liked, what you didn't, any ideas, and whatever else is on your mind.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

* * *

Tsunade sipped her tea, her eyes detached and calculating as she scanned the paperwork Shizune did the night before. Her eyes skimmed over the documents, hands fumbling, the damp ink smearing with every hurried flip of a page. The hunch of her shoulders, the tension in her back, and the headache forming behind her eyes seemed to worsen each second. Tsunade's sunken, tired face contorted as she sighed a deep worried sigh. Her fingers, black with smudged ink, pulled out the document she was looking for – the mission roster from the night before. Tsunade's hand swept across the table, knocking over her empty sake cup and causing the unwanted papers to drift to the unswept floor.

Tsunade's hand slammed the paper onto her desk as she reached for her brush. The haste in her writing caused the ink to appear scribbled and barely legible. She drew a giant, sweeping x over the entire paper and stood, nearly running towards her door, which she threw open and screamed,  
"Shizune! Get in my office _now_."

Shizune, wearing a worried expression and carrying another stack of paperwork, entered the room almost instantaneously. With surprising speed, she was at Tsunade's desk.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?"

"Who filled out the mission roster last night?" Without looking, Tsunade grabbed the paper from her desk and waved it in front of Shizune, "Fire them, immediately."  
Shizune took the mission roster and examined it, looking for any sign of a problem. She then noticed the first mistake, a genin team assigned to a B-rank mission.  
"I think team Ebi will be just fine. Tsukure is a good shinobi." Shizune reasoned, hoping to calm Tsunade.  
"Keep reading."

Brown eyes scanning methodically, Shizune still couldn't find what angered Tsunade, until she read the three last missions.  
"Sakura…"  
Tsunade shook her head, heels clicking as she walked towards the cabinets on the far side of her office. She threw the doors of one of the cabinets open, nearly breaking the hinges off. Pulling out a large bottle of sake, she turned back around to regard Shizune.

"What are we going to do, Tsunade-sama?"  
"I don't know. Part of me thinks she can handle it, but…"  
"With all due respect, it's an S-ranked mission. It was meant for a four-man cell! We can't let her try this on her own." Shizune sat down, dropping her head into her hands. Tsunade walked over to her desk, sake and cups in hand. She poured two cups, handed one to Shizune, and downed the other in a single gulp.

"Find out who assigned Sakura an S-rank mission right now. I want to meet the idiot that thought she could handle a reconnaissance mission, alone, in upper fire country."  
"Alright, Tsunade-sama."

* * *

Sakura's eyes opened, revealing blue sky, nearly blinding sun, and a spinning sharingan. Confused, Sakura blinked several times, hoping to clear her blurry vision, but the eyes staring at her became more intimidating as her eyes adjusted to the sun's glare.

"Sasuke..?" Sakura's voice sounded foreign to her. Scratchy, rough, and deep, she didn't recognize the voice she heard.  
"No, but you're close."

Sakura sat up, and the haste of it caused a headache. The glare from the sun lessened slightly, giving Sakura a good view of her the clearing she sat in, and of her guest. Horror crept onto her face as she realized she was sitting face-to-face with Itachi Uchiha.

"Why are you here?" Sakura asked, struggling to keep her voice level, "Don't you have… Akatsuki things to do?"

"What makes you think I'm not here on Akatsuki business?"

Completely tense, Sakura fell silent and examined Itachi. His relaxed stance worried her. He wore the usual Akatsuki uniform – the infamous black cloak adorned with red clouds. Itachi kept his cloak buttoned completely, making it impossible to tell what he was wearing underneath. Among the few things she saw, a necklace hung around his neck. A simple one, adorned with several small circles. Sakura couldn't help but feel like running. Her mind kept reminding her how wrong sitting among her enemies would seem to the council, god forbid they ever heard of this.

Sakura knew that running made for the worst idea possible, though. She sensed that he wouldn't be there unless wanted her for something, and running would cause a chase. She did _not_ want to engage in combat with someone as lethal as Itachi.

She watched in fascination as the red in his eyes receded, leaving an onyx color. Without the sharingan, he looked like a completely different person. She noted how different Itachi looked than Sasuke. His hair, longer. His eyes, narrower. His face, more angular. His body, leaner.

A cool, masculine voice cut through her observations. She looked to Itachi, who turned and began walking away.

"Sakura Haruno, come." He said.

Sakura, against her better judgment, followed him. They walked for miles before Sakura started getting nervous. Her calves hurt and her mind reeled with fear and apprehension as they walked further away from the clearing. She stared at Itachi, who walked slightly ahead of her at all times. Arrogant, she thought, as she could run at any time.

Itachi stopped, his abrupt halt causing Sakura to stumble a little. He turned and began walking towards a long row of trees that marked some kind of forest. Sakura looked for any sign of life nearby. Smoke, houses, footprints, anything. She then noticed the faint prickle of a jutsu. Itachi seemed to sense it, too. He began performing hand seals and whispered something under his breath. Sakura watched as a small wooden house appeared about 50 feet from where they stood. Itachi walked towards the newly formed building, but Sakura didn't move.

"I will not hestitate to use force on you, Haruno."

With that, she walked towards the building at an agonizingly slow pace, and with every step, she wished more that she ran away while she could.

As they approached the front door, Sakura took in the brightly colored flowers that wove around the simple, wooden porch. They walked up the obviously old, creaking stairs, and Itachi opened the door, walked through, and held the door for Sakura as she followed him. She wondered if any of the other Akatsuki members had manners. At that, a small smirk crept its way onto her lips.

The inside of the house resembled a traditional Japanese home. The tatami floors and shoji doors reminded Sakura of her own apartment in Konoha. Paintings depicting fields full of flowers and beautiful women adorned the walls, and vases of flowers and small plants sat around the house. She followed Itachi through a labyrinth of hallways, and wondered if he actually knew where he was going. To her relief, Sakura saw and heard nobody else in the house. Dealing with one Akatsuki member proved to be more than enough for one day.

As they rounded another corner, Itachi finally turned into a room. She followed his swift movements, and found herself in a room that looked familiar. The room was a sterile white, with a wall of white cabinets and a counter. The white floors matched the white walls and the white cot that was pushed up against the far wall. A window sat above the cot, the blinds open, showing a bright, beautiful, sunny world outside. Boxes of depressants, cotton swabs, and rubber gloves sat on the countertop, and Sakura wondered if anyone ever used the fully-stocked medical room. It resembled the check-up rooms that she used for civilians at the hospital in Konoha.

Sakura walked into the room, opening the drawers and cabinets to examine the materials he had available.

"Sakura Haruno, I want you to fix my eyes." Itachi cut right to the chase. He turned to look at her, his narrow onyx eyes glaring with an air of intimidation.

Sakura gaped. Her eyes widened and stared at him for a couple of seconds before regaining her composure.

"Why should I heal someone from the organization that is vying to kill my best friend?" She sat on the hospital bed, struggling to act calm.

"Your life is in my hands right now, Haruno. I think it is in your best interests to do as I ask." Red began to seep into Itachi's spinning eyes as they started forming into the familiar mangekyo sharingan pattern, reminding Sakura of the power Itachi held over her.

Sakura couldn't argue with that. She bit her lip and weighed her options. She could either agree, betray her villiage, become a criminal and live, or decline and probable die. Sakura felt herself getting dizzy with uneasiness. She shook her head, trying to compose herself.

"I'll fix your vision, but only if you agree to my terms," She began, "First, my villiage must never hear of my forced betrayal."

Itachi nodded, inviting her to go on.  
"Second, I must remain alive after your eyes are healed. I will be set free."  
Itachi, though hesitant, nodded again.

"Lastly, You cannot go after Naruto."  
To her utter shock, Itachi laughed. His laugh was small, more of a chuckle, but it was an expression of humor. Sakura stared, mouth ajar. She didn't know what to make of the laughter.

"Haruno, it was never my intention to capture your jinchuuriki friend."

Sakura tilted her head like a confused puppy and sat silently, still staring. Itachi quirked an eyebrow at her.

"What are you talking about? The Akatsuki's goals are to capture the tailed demons. That goal wouldn't be achieved without Naruto's capture and the nine-tail's extraction."

"You are a perfect product of Konoha. The goals of your village are the goals of you and your peers. I wouldn't expect you to understand my reasons for anything." Itachi said.

"What do you mean?" Sakura's voice, again confused, rang out.

"Just because I am a part of the Akatsuki doesn't mean that I share the same goals," Itachi paused, turned away, and walked towards the door, "I will be back tomorrow morning, 9 am. You will start treatment on my eyes at that time. Familiarize yourself with this room before exiting. Your room is directly across the hallway to this one. Do not leave unless told otherwise. A meal will be brought to you shortly."

Itachi slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him. Sakura finally sank into her surroundings, her head spinning with confusion, fear, and unease. She laid back onto the cot, allowing herself to finally relax and take in everything that happened. Unanswered questions swirled in her brain, gnawing at her mind like rabid dogs.

Itachi wanted her to fix his eyes. Why? Why Her? Someone else, with more experience working with eyes would probably do a much better job. She knew very little of the chakra in eyes, let alone sharingan eyes. How did he expect her to learn?

What about the rest of Akatsuki? Would they be dropping by? Would they expect her to heal them? Would she make it out alive?

Sakura got up and left the white, sterile room. She crossed into the room Itachi called 'hers.' Equally bland, the room held a bed with a white blanket, two white pillows, and a dresser with a neatly folded pile of clothing. Suspicious, Sakura walked over to the dresser and examined the clothing. A black shirt, black drawstring pants, and a pair of socks.

Sakura left the clothes on the dresser and threw her body onto the bed, letting the fatigue of the day take over.

* * *

**AN: So? Is it better/worse? Can it still use improvement? (of course it can!)**  
**Review, let me know what's up.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: First off, I want to thank everyone who sent feedback on chapter 1.**  
**It helps me so unbelievably much~!**

**Second, I'd like to send a shout-out to my new beta, heyfunnygirl. (:**

**Like always, please read this chapter and review.**  
**It's always nice for me to be able to see your opinions on my writing! **

* * *

Tsunade threw back another cup of sake, glanced towards Shizune, and inwardly restrained herself from throwing the brat out the window. Naruto stood a few feet from her desk, anger seeping through his chakra as he yelled.

"Are you guys stup-"

"Shut the hell up, brat. It wasn't our fault. I was out last night, and Shizune assigned someone else to make copies of the mission roster." Tsunade interjected, her frustration obvious through the tone of her voice.

At that, Naruto seemed to calm a bit. He walked towards the two and stood in front of the desk.

"Do you think it was intentional.." Naruto started, uneasy.

"Yes. The only person who was put in immediate danger was Sakura. Whoever re-arranged the roster made sure to assign every team to a task they were capable of."

"Which means they had to have known each team's abilities and skill." Shizune said. Tsunade offered her another cup of sake, and Shizune pushed it back. Tsunade picked it up, downed it, and poured another.

"Well, who did Shizune assign to finish the paperwork?" Naruto shifted in his chair.

"Rin-san, but she couldn't have done this," Shizune said, "I questioned her about it this morning. She said that the mission roster was unfinished when she went home. She only completed the first half."

"It still could've been her. She could be lying" Tsunade emptied the last of the sake bottle, threw it on the ground, and reached under her desk to grab a full one.

"No, the handwriting is different. Rin-san's is very light and thin. The handwriting on the roster is much more masculine."

"Have someone tail her anyway. I want to know what she's up to. I need to know what's going on, and why anyone in this village would want to see Sakura in danger."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

* * *

Sakura woke with a start, sitting straight up in bed. She looked around the room, beginning to panic at the unfamiliar surroundings. Memories of the day before flooded her head. She sat up, getting a clear look at her bedroom. It seemed that overnight, things changed a bit. The stack of clothing on the dresser multiplied and a clock appeared on her nightstand. She saw another door next to her dresser, one that she didn't notice the night before. Sakura took a good look around the room, glancing at the clock. 7am.

If she remembered right, Itachi said he'd meet her at 9. She lifted herself from bed and walked over to the dresser, grabbing the black shirt and pants from the stack of clothing on the dresser. Weary from stress, Sakura stumbled over to the new door, cracking it and peeking into the dark room. A bathroom. She flipped the lights on, walked in, and shut the door behind her. The bathroom was simple: a sink, a toilet, and a shower. A mirror hung above the sink, and a stack of towels sat next to the shower.

Turning to the mirror, Sakura couldn't believe her reflection. Two days without a shower really didn't do much for her appearance. Her normally vibrant pink hair seemed dull, matted, and greasy. Her skin looked sullen and dirty, bags sat under her eyes. Her entire body looked like it needed to be scrubbed.

Sakura turned on the water, stepped into the shower, and grabbed some soap. Scrubbing furiously, she didn't stop until her skin was raw, red, and hurt to the touch. Her hair was next. She took the bottle and squeezed it straight onto her hair, the shampoo dripped down onto her face and neck, stinging her eyes. She scrubbed her hair vigorously, and watched with burning eyes as the dirty water slid down the drain.

Sakura stepped out of the shower, dried herself, and put on the black drawstring pants and top. Using her towel to dry her hair, she stepped back out into her temporary bedroom. While she was showering, a note appeared on her nightstand. The handwriting looked thin and dainty.

_Sakura Haruno,_

_You are not confined to your room anymore. At this time, you are free to roam about the house. Any room marked with an Akatsuki cloud on the door is off limits. You are also not permitted go outside. _

Sakura took the note, folded it, and slipped it into one of the pockets of her pants. She opened the door and stepped out into the narrow, dimly lit hallway. As she walked, she heard Itachi talking, his voice very faint. As far as she knew, they were the only two in the house. Confused, she followed the sound, masking her chakra to avoid detection. She made it to a room that looked like a library. She peeked in and saw that Itachi was sitting cross-legged on the floor with his back to her in a meditative state.

"Yes, Leader-sama. I understand. It's for the best, I know," He paused, "What time are they scheduled to arrive?"  
Sakura shuddered, envisioning the entire Akatsuki in the house.

"I understand. I'll be sure to keep our guard up." Itachi sat for a moment longer before getting up and walking towards the doorway that Sakura hid behind.

Sakura slunk back, inwardly panicking. She tried her hardest to blend in with her surroundings. Eyes clamped closed, her entire body pressed up against the wall, she willed Itachi to just walk away and never acknowledge her presence. Sakura cracked an eye open to find Itachi staring at her with raised eyebrows.

"Haruno, what are you doing?"

"umm…" Sakura stared, unable to form a response, "I was just, uhh, looking for the kitchen, and I ahh, heard you talking…"

Itachi appraised her for another moment before turning and walking away.

"Don't forget to meet me in the clinic at 9."

* * *

Sakura found herself wandering around the hallways again, looking for anything to help cure her boredom. It was shocking that such interesting, dangerous people didn't have anything interesting around their living space to do. As she rounded another corner, she found herself in a kitchen. The kitchen was rather large, which was to be expected.

Sakura started rummaging through the cabinets with no purpose, examining and taking inventory of everything they had. She found some tea, which she pulled out and set on the unusually high counter tops. Looking around, she found some mugs hanging near the sink. She grabbed the kettle on the stove, filled it with water, and placed it back to boil. As she waited, Sakura looked out the window.

Outside, fluffy white clouds hung in the blue sky. The trees rose from the ground, the tops grazing the clouds. How Sakura longed to be outside. The confinement within the house was starting to take its toll on her, as she pondered ways she could escape.

The kettle whistled, and Sakura stood to make her tea. As she walked over, she caught a glimpse of a clock over the door. It read 8:50. Sakura panicked.

Tea forgotten, Sakura ran wildly through the dim halls, lost. She couldn't remember how to navigate the labyrinth of a house, and ended up making several wrong turns. As she walked, the halls seemed to be getting darker. She kept going, turning at random times and hoping she could find her way, until she bumped into something very tall, very hard, and very blue.

Small, beady eyes looked down at her, narrowed. Sakura, on instinct, reached for her kunai. Fear set in when she realized that she didn't have her weapon pouch.

"You must be our new little leaf medic, huh?" The rough, deep voice asked.

Sakura's eyes were beginning to adjust to the dark, and she began to recognize the man. Though she had never seen him in person, she knew his face from the bingo books. He was Kisame Hoshigaki, and Tsunade warned her about him."

"Umm…" Sakura stared, unsure of what to say, "I guess."

The strange-looking man chuckled before turning and walking away.

"Nice to meet'cha. You should probably be glad that I was the first one you bumped into. Anyone else might'a sliced you in half," Though his voice held a tone of humor, she still felt her stomach drop at the mention of more people in the house.

"O-okay."

Sakura recognized her chance to possibly make it out the maze of halls alive, and while she hated consorting with the enemy, she didn't know how long it would take her to find her way out alone.

"Um… look. Itachi wants me to fix his eyes, and he told me to meet him at the clinic at 9, but I'm lost and now and late. Can you tell me how to get there?"

Kisame stared at her before turning.

"Sure little leaf."

Sakura followed the giant shark man through the halls, turning at various points before ending up right in front of her room and the clinic.

"There ya are, little leaf. And if you need ta know where anything else is, tour guide Kisame is always on call." Kisame chuckled, turned, and walked away.

Sakura stood in front of the door for a moment, terrified. She was about to betray her village in the ultimate way. She didn't know how to handle treating a patient like Itachi. She decided to treat Itachi like any other patient. Maybe it would help her get out faster. Sakura straightened her posture, threw her shoulder's back, and strode into the room with a façade of confidence.

Itachi sat on the cot, an annoyed expression adorning his face.

"Haruno, you're late."

"Good to see you too, Uchiha-san. Let's begin, shall we?" Sakura walked over to the counter, pulled on some gloves, and approached Itachi.

"Okay, this is how it's going to work. I'm going to channel chakra through my fingertips and apply them to the areas that connect your chakra to your eyes. My guess is that chakra build-up is what's causing your eye problem. Anyway, you'll need to walk me through your problem. I've got a few preliminary questions, and we'll get underway. Today, I'm going to be able to diagnose you, but actual treatment probably won't start until I refill my chakra supply. Having only one person attempt something so delicate drains chakra quickly."

Itachi nodded, stoic as ever.

"Now, I'm going to be completely honest with you. Eyes are not something I typically handle, and certainly never sharingan eyes. This is going to be something new for both of us, so you'll have to bear with me."

At that, Itachi seemed to react.

"Haruno, if you blind me…"

"Now, relax. I know enough about eyes to keep your vision intact, it's just fixing it that I need to figure out."

"I will choose to remind you now that you are my captive, and should you choose to use your medical knowledge to impair my eyesight or physical being in any way, I will kill you." Itachi stated, cool as ever.

Sakura noticed something in the corner of the room, the pack she had been travelling with when Itachi found her. Surprised, she walked to it. Upon opening it, she noticed that everything was there, with the exception of her weapons and poisons. She found her medical journal, which she always had on hand. Grabbing it, she walked back towards Itachi.

"Uchiha-san, do you mind if I record my finding in my journal, just for my own medical record?"

Itachi shrugged, "Just keep it anonymous."

Sakura nodded, opening up the scroll and jotting down a few notes.

"Alright, let's get started. How long have you been experiencing problems with your eyesight?"  
"Many years. Probably since I was 14." Itachi said. He listened to the scratching of Sakura's writing.

"Okay. Is your vision blurring or darkening?"

"Both." More scratching.

"What age did you achieve your mangekyo sharingan?"

"14."

"Mhm. Are there any other symptoms that come with your weakening eyesight?"

"Headaches. Lots of headaches, and occasional dizziness."

"Okay. Have you ever attempted any kind of treatment for your eyesight?"

"Yes." Sakura's pen stopped scratching. She turned to look at him, a frustrated expression on her face.

"What kind of treatments?"

"Any kind I could find. A woman in the mist gave me pills to make my eyesight stronger, but those didn't work. I also tried taking pills from a medic-nin that Kisame killed in the cloud, but those only helped the headaches."

Sakura sighed, pinching the sides of her nose.

"Uchiha-san, that was incredibly stupid of you. Taking medicine that wasn't recommended by a medic-nin is very dangerous and could've had an adverse effect on your eyesight."

Itachi didn't respond.

"Alright, I'm going to start the exam. Please close your eyes. You're going to feel my chakra enter your chakra pathways in a moment."

Itachi nodded, closing his eyes.

Sakura began the treatment. She immediately noticed how blocked and narrow his ocular pathways were.

"Itachi, how often do you use your sharingan?"

"Almost every day."

Sakura groaned, pressing forward in her exam.

"Please switch your sharingan on."

Itachi did.

"Now please switch it off."

Sakura repeated this for the better part of an hour. She gave Itachi simple commands, he followed her directions. After about an hour, she knew what was wrong.

Itachi watched as Sakura grabbed her scroll and started scribbling down notes. Sakura heard his impatient foot tapping, and set her scroll down.

"Okay, Uchiha-san. Your ocular chakra pathways are very badly damaged. Though this is fixable, it will never be completely healed. Basically, you've overused your sharingan, and now your actual vision is paying the price for it. It will take me about two weeks to heal your vision as much as I can, and you'll probably need to make follow up appointments every few months, unless you want your vision this deteriorated again."

Sakura didn't realize what she was saying until after she said it. She couldn't believe that she actually suggested making appointments with Itachi after he let her go. Two weeks? Tsunade would definitely be after her by then.

Itachi nodded and stood.

"Very well. You will remain here for two weeks, until my vision is restored. After that, we will discuss possible future appointments." Itachi walked out of the room, leaving Sakura alone.

"Shit."

* * *

**AN: So? Did you like it?**

**For those of you who read the original, do the changes make the story seem more plausible?**  
**Are characters true to their personalities?**

**Please, any opinions, thoughts, or comments should go in a review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: So, FF is being crazy and it took me quite awhile to figure out how to surpass the document manager and get this chapter up.**  
**Luckily, I'm a genius, so all is well.**

**Anyway, a quick thanks to all the reviewers on the last chapter, my beta, and anyone who reads my work.**  
**Don't forget to review.**

**Oh, and quick side note: I've got some important news that I'll put in the bottom.**

**Enjoy! **

* * *

Chapter 3

Sakura woke up to the sounds of loud, boisterous laughter. Looking around her room, she noticed that, like the previous day, another piece of paper appeared mysteriously on her nightstand. Opening it, Sakura found a map of the inner hallways. The rooms were marked with little pictures. A picture of a girl with pink hair, which she assumed was her room, was located right across from a room with a picture of a bandage on it. A few turns away was a picture of a fish, which she assumed was the kitchen. There were also rooms with other pictures, like books, toilets, and pachinko. At the bottom in big, blocky handwriting, was written:

_Tour Guide Kisame, at your service._

Snorting, Sakura took the paper and slid next to the other note in her pocket. She got up, stretching as she walked towards the door. She opened the door with impressive silence, and tiptoed out into the hallway. Pulling out her map, she made her way to the kitchen.

Sakura decided that having a map made her life much easier. She walked into the kitchen, safely storing the map in her pocket. Upon her entry, she was greeted with Itachi, Kisame, and an Akatsuki member she recognized as Hidan sitting at the table by the window.

"Hey, little leaf." Kisame's face contorted into something between a smile and a grimace, putting all his pointy teeth on display.

"Hello." She greeted, her voice stiff with discomfort. It wasn't often that she found herself sitting among her village's greatest enemies.

"Haruno-san." Itachi said, acknowledging her arrival. She nodded at him, before moving towards the food that was laid out on the counter.

"Have at, little leaf. Itachi says that ya haven't had anythin' to eat since ya got here," Kisame pointed at the food, "plates are in the cabinet right above ya."

Hidan, who seemed to have been not paying attention, stared at Sakura with narrow eyes. She turned away, grabbing a plate and dishing herself up. She could feel his glare burning into her back.

"Who the _fuck_ is she?" Hidan looked at Kisame and Itachi.

"Pein ordered her capture for the restoration of my eyesight," Itachi said cooly, "she is from the leaf, and should not be harmed in any way."

"Why? Don't we kill our captives anyway?" Hidan's eyes moved back to Sakura, glaring daggers, "I have some unfinished business with the leaf anyway."

"Nah, we've gotta give her back." Kisame jumped in.

Sakura walked over to the table, taking a seat between Itachi and Kisame. Though she wasn't very comfortable sitting next to a couple of S-class criminals, she didn't want to be anywhere near Hidan.

As she sat down, Hidan stood, grabbed his giant scythe, his breakfast, and walked towards the door.

"So many fuckin' people here. I'm gonna go train."

The door slammed behind him, and Sakura began eating her meal in peace.

"So, little leaf, how long will it take to heal Itachi's eyes?"

"Would it be possible for you to address me by my name?" Sakura looked at him, "And it'll take about two weeks."

"No can do, little leaf. For safety reasons." Kisame grinned down at her.

Itachi looked between the two before standing, clearing his dishes, and walking towards the door.

"Haruno-san, finish your meal and go straight to the exam room. I will expect you there in about 30 minutes."

Sakura nodded, watching as his tall figure retreated into the hallway.

"So, little leaf, has the map helped at all?" Sakura smiled.

"Yes, thank you. Are all the Akatsuki bases so damn confusing?"

"Just about. Leader-sama likes to keep them that way, just in case people like you weasel their way within our walls."

"Ah, captives?" Sakura snorted.

"No, leaf operatives. We're probably gonna have to burn this place one we give you back. Can't have any other little leaves hanging out around one of our bases." The corners of Kisame's mouth lifted a bit, almost with excitement.

"How many bases do you guys have?"

"I couldn't tell you, even if I knew," Kisame took a giant bite of some fish. His mouth full, he continued, "I think the only one who really knows is Leader-sama. He builds them all. We get directions and go where we're supposed to."

"Are you always on directions?"

"No. Lately we haven't been as busy. This is the first order I've gotten in a while, not to mention one of the first I've gotten without Itachi."

Sakura looked at Kisame thoughtfully, sizing him up.

"So, what do you do on your downtime?" She said.

"Normally just roam around. There are a few places in the mist that I like to frequent," Kisame took another bite, "In secret, of course."

Sakura smiled, finishing off the rest of her breakfast. She took her plates to the sink, nodded goodbye to Kisame, and walked off towards the clinic.

It was almost frightening to her, how civil Kisame and Itachi were. For S-class criminals, they seemed like such normal people. Normal, civil killing machines.

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me." Tsunade cursed under her breath, "You've _got_ to be kidding me. Shizune!"

"Yes, Tsunade?" Shizune rushed into the room, carrying some paperwork, "any news?"  
Tsunade shoved a document into Shizune's hand.  
"A report from just north of the village borders."  
Shizune looked over the report, eyes darting back and forth. Tsunade sat at her desk, the wrinkles in her face deep from stress and lack of sleep.  
"Has anyone verified this?" Shizune breathed, "This can't be right."

"Nobody can verify it, but it's the only thing we have. We need to investigate all angles." Tsunade said.

"But Tsunade, if this is true- if the Akatsuki really is in possession of Sakura, we're going to be in big trouble."

"You think I don't understand that? As absurd as it seems for Sakura to team up with Akatsuki, she may not have been given a choice."  
"Why didn't the witness report this sooner?" Shizune asked, "It seems a bit odd to wait two days before letting us in on it."

"Who knows. The most important thing is that Sakura has been seen alive, walking with Itachi Uchiha." Tsunade folded her hands together, taking a deep sigh.

"What should we do?"  
"Send ANBU. Have a couple different cells go and rotate around the area. Contact Kakashi. If anyone in this village can sniff out Sakura, it's him."

Shizune nodded and walked towards the door, her pace brisk. As soon as she left, Tsunade let her head fall into her hands. She thought over the report, which had been received earlier that morning. It was anonymous, late, and very vague, which meant the Akatsuki probably fabricated it. The report stated that Sakura was seen walking casually with Itachi Uchiha. Tsunade found this hard to believe.

Unfortunately, the amount of information on Sakura's disappearance was slim, so Tsunade knew she had to trust Sakura's shinobi capabilities.

Tsunade's head flew up as she heard footsteps down the hall. Kakashi appeared in her office.

"Shizune sent you?" Tsunade asked.  
"Yeah. She told me what's going on."  
"Good, you know the seriousness of the matter. I'm going to brief you now, because you're going to leave as soon as Shizune readies a team for you. Your mission is to go north, to Sakura's mission location. This is that last place Sakura was seen. You will be accompanied by two other cells. I'll leave it up to you, the rotations. Just find Sakura. I'll expect news along the way, so leave one of your dogs here."

Kakashi nodded, turned, and began walking out. Before he reached the door, he turned around,

"Is it true that Sakura is with the Akatsuki?"  
"We don't know. I'll inform you as soon as we find out."

"I may know before you do."

"Let's hope that report is wrong."

With that, Kakashi left the room, off to prepare his weapons and gear.

* * *

With the help of her map, Sakura made it to the clinic without a hitch. She slid open the door to find Itachi sitting on the cot.

"Hello, Uchiha-san." Sakura greeted.

"Haruno-san."

Sakura took her journal from the counter before settling down on the stool in front of the cot.

"Alright, I'm going to start healing you today. I need to you close your eyes and relax completely. I'm going to aim for the largest chakra paths today."

Itachi nodded, leaned forward, and closed his eyes. Sakura placed her fingertips lightly on his temples, healing the largest pathways was simple, just a very long process. As Sakura healed Itachi, questions bubbled up into her mind.

"Itachi-san, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a few questions."

Itachi didn't answer, so Sakura pressed on.

"Um, Kisame said that you normally kill your captives. Why not me?"

Surprisingly, Itachi inclined his head and answered her.

"We're under orders to keep you alive, though I probably wouldn't kill you anyway. Pein probably doesn't want to start a war with Konoha yet, and he knows that killing you would create an uproar among leaf shinobi."

"You keep hinting that your goals aren't the same as the Akatsuki's." Sakura said, more to herself, "Why don't you want to kill Naruto or myself?"

"I may be a missing-nin, and I may be Akatsuki, but I know boundaries. Everyone in this organization has their own agenda, whether it be with Akatsuki or not."

"Why did you join Akatsuki?" Sakura asked.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that."

Sakura frowned.

"So you joined Akatsuki for some unknown reason, but you don't share the same aspirations. Why are you still here?"

"This life, ruthless as it may seem, is better than being a roaming outcast, locked in a cell, or dead." Itachi answered.

"Are you really going to send me back to Konoha?"

"I don't know. At this point, that's our orders."

"…but Pein could always change his mind." Sakura lifted her hands from his face, extended her arms and stretched. Itachi opened his eyes, blinking several times.

"My vision seems a little brighter."

"It will improve steadily as I continue to heal you."

"Are we done for today?" Itachi asked.

"Yes." Sakura replied.

Itachi stood up and began walking towards the door.

"This entire organization runs deeper than you can imagine. You'll soon learn just how deep. We'll talk soon."

Itachi exited the room and shut the door behind him.

* * *

**AN: Okay, so I'm going to let you know this ahead of time, just for future reference.**  
**In about a month, I'm going to be heading off to visit my boyfriend in Las Vegas.**

**I'll be in Vegas for about 2 weeks, and then he'll be coming home with me for another few weeks.**  
**Basically, this means that my updates will be few and far between.**

**I'll try my hardest to get as much of the story done as possible so I'll be able to update regularly, but please bear with me.**

**At least we've still got another few weeks of decently spaced updates!  
^^; **


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Okay, I'm sorry about the long wait! I'm in Vegas right now, and I decided to try and get a chapter out. I'll be back home soon, so hopefully my updates will be a little better.**

**This chapter is a lot shorter than my other ones, but don't fret. My next chapter will be action packed and quite a bit longer.**

* * *

Chapter 4

Kakashi's feet hit the ground with a nearly silent crunch of underbrush. He crouched down, assessing the small clearing his team stumbled upon. Alert and focused, his one visible eye scanned the area, looking for remnants of chakra or signs of other shinobi. After a few minutes, he relaxed his stance. He raised his right hand, signaling forward.

At his signal, 3 masked shinobi flew out from the trees. Within 10 minutes, they set up a small, efficient camp.

"Keep your movements to a minimum. We don't need to leave any trails. If the Akatsuki really is behind this, we must be careful," Kakashi said.

"Yes, captain," three voices rang out.

"Now is your time to rest up, use it wisely. If the Akatsuki makes a move, we need to be ready. I'm going to scout the area, everyone else eat and rest. We'll be moving tomorrow morning." Kakashi didn't wait for a response from his teammates. He started moving through the trees, circling the camp. He heard the faint rustling of a water source, and began making his way towards it. As he approached what looked like a small river, he realized that he wasn't alone anymore.

A young man stood across the river from him, fear in his eyes. His tousled hair looked dirty and civilian clothes seemed ripped. A large pack hung from his back. A henge, Kakashi immediately recognized.

"What is your business here?" Kakashi asked.

The boy reached into his pack, immediately setting Kakashi on edge. He reached for his kunai as the boy pulled out a black scroll and threw it across the river. The scroll landed at Kakashi's feet. The bindings of the scroll held the insignia of the Akatsuki. He reached down to pick it up, and immediately felt the boy's presence disappear.

Kakashi bolted back to the camp, alarmed. At his arrival, his team looked up. All of them were at ease, ANBU masks pushed up to their foreheads and weapons on the ground.

"They know we're here. We're leaving. Pack up immediately."

Kakashi watched as his team stood simultaneously and began packing at a speed even his sharingan would have trouble watching. Scroll hidden in his pocket, he armed himself heavily. His team followed, strapping on their weapons. Kakashi signaled forward, and his team disappeared into the thick forest. Quickly securing his Konoha hitai-ate above his sharingan, he jumped in behind them.

* * *

Sakura's fingertips touched Itachi's temples lightly, chakra started to flow immediately.

"Today, I'm just gonna clean up what I started yesterday. If I have enough chakra left over, I'll start on the smaller pathways."

Itachi nodded his assent, and Sakura continued to push her chakra through his ocular pathways.

The room was completely silent, aside from the faint clicking of Sakura's toes on the floor. Sakura felt restless from all the downtime at the base. She hadn't trained at all since before she was caught.

Itachi sat, silent and still. Calm as ever.

Hours seemed to pass like minutes, and Itachi's chakra pathways were clearing up nicely. Suddenly, Itachi's ring started to glow. Within a minute, Kisame was at the door, banging so hard that the door looked as though it would fly off the hinges. Itachi opened his eyes, blinking rapidly to help them adjust to the sudden rush of light

"Open the damn door, it's important stuff."

Sakura swept over to the door, slightly annoyed that her healing was interrupted.

"Yes, Kisame?" Itachi asked.

"Pein wants to have a meeting. He says it's important. He wants to little leaf, too. He'll be here in a few minutes." Kisame walked out, leaving the door open.

Sakura's heart dropped into her stomach. She began sweating, fear seeping into every inch of her body. The Akatsuki leader wasn't someone she wanted to sit and chat with. Regardless, she kept a cool exterior.

Itachi pushed past her, striding towards the door.

"Come," he said, "We'll continue the healing tomorrow."

Sakura nodded, following Itachi through the hallways. They reached a room that looked a lot like the counsel room in the hokage tower. A large, oval-shaped table sat in the middle of the room, chairs pushed in all around it. In the chairs sat Kisame, Hidan, and a couple other people that Sakura didn't recognize.

Itachi chose a seat next to Kisame, and Sakura chose the seat next to him. Though calm and composed on the outside, Sakura was terrified inside. She slid her hands under the table, wringing her fingers together.

The door flew open and two people strode in, both equally detached. A man with bright orange hair and facial piercings sat at the head of the table. She recognized him as Pein. A woman walked behind him, Bright blue hair gave her away as Konan. She sat next to Pein.

Pein looked directly at Sakura through cold, calculating eyes.

"Haruno-san, how are the efforts of restoring Itachi's vision?"

Sakura, surprised that he addressed her, didn't know what to say. She decided to handle it like any other, more normal, medical case.

"He's improving rapidly, more so than I originally expected. If we keep up at this rate, his vision should be close to perfect in another week."

"Close to perfect?" Konan interjected.

"Yes. I told Itachi in our preliminary exam that I would not be able to completely restore his vision. The damage has been there for too long, and it's far too deep to completely heal. I can restore his vision to near-perfect, but it will take upkeep."

"How often?" Pein asked.

"Once every few months."

Pein looked from Itachi to Sakura, seemingly calculating something in his head. He turned to Konan and nodded to her. She reached under the table and pulled out a parcel, which she then slid across the table to Sakura.

"As you may have guessed, we are not here simply to check on Itachi's eyesight. We have eyes in this forest, and we have seen three teams of Konoha shinobi scouting the area, one of which is captained by the copy ninja, Hatake Kakashi."

Sakura's heart started beating faster. Kakashi was here. If he found out what she was doing, he would be so ashamed. Everyone would be.

"Obviously, we can't let Haruno-san go just yet. We need to relocate. That parcel contains an Akatsuki cloak and a storage scroll that contains several different choices of weapons. Your task is to develop a henge to use during travel. Hidan, your task is to study Haruno-san's appearance. During travel, you will henge yourself to be identical to her. If we are attacked by Konoha, we cannot have Haruno taken by the leaf."

Hidan snorted, Sakura's eyes widened.

"You will leave at sunrise tomorrow. I will leave directions to the new location. Your means of transportation is up to you. Haruno-san, you will be travelling with Kisame. Itachi and Hidan will travel together, and Konan and I will be going back to Amegakure tonight."

Pein turned to the still un-named people sitting at the table.

"You all will burn this place as soon as everyone has left. Do not take anything from this home. Your task is to make sure that nothing is usable or recognizable after we are gone."

With that, Pein and Konan stood and walked out of the room. Kisame, Hidan, and the others walked behind them, leaving Sakura and Itachi at the table together.

"Well, I guess we'd better start packing our belongings, right?" Sakura said.

"Yes." Itachi stood up, opened the door, and held it open as Sakura passed through.

* * *

Tsunade sipped her cup of sake as a few ANBU appeared in her office. One stepped forward, holding out a piece of paper. Tsunade took it, glanced at it, and nodded.

"Good work. Bring her in." She said.

The ANBU operatives disappeared just as quickly as they came in. Tsunade stood up and strode over to her door.

"Shizune, my office," she called, "Now!"

Shizune entered the room as Tsunade seated herself at the desk.

"I think we should read this together." Tsunade said, holding up the document.

"What is that?" Shizune asked.

"The report of Rin Yamakishi's daily activities."

Shizune crouched next to Tsunade, eyes scanning the paper quickly. Tsunade felt a headache forming rapidly behind her eyes as she read more.

"What the hell is she doing?" Shizune asked, rage filling her voice.

Tsunade shook her head, pressed her hands to her forehead, and tried to ease the tense muscles of her face.

"I don't know. ANBU is bringing her in now."

"What are we going to do with her?" Shizune asked.

"Send her to Ibiki." Tsunade grimly said.

* * *

**AN: sorry if that felt rushed. It kinda was. Review, tell me what's up!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hey, all. Sorry for the late post (again)**  
**breakups, family drama, sickness, all that good stuff.  
Needless to say, August was a long month. **

**Read, review! **

* * *

Chapter 5

Sakura glared at the still unopened parcel on her bed with distaste. The little brown package seemed to mock her, its contents silently laughing at her predicament. Sakura stomped into her bathroom, stood over the sink and began pulling at her face. Her hands moved of their own accord, pulling her cheekbones higher, her eyes thinner, her mouth wider. Sakura's hands moved together, forming seals. A little puff of smoke appeared and she leaned in closer to study her henge.

She barely even recognized herself. Shiny, voluminous dark brown hair cascaded down her shoulders, curling out slightly at the ends, just under her shoulder blades. Tanned skin complemented wide, light brown eyes and her full lips pursed as she noticed a large decrease in forehead size. Her face held a much older appearance, angular yet soft. She looked less like a teenager and more like an adult.

Sakura committed her appearance to memory for later use as loud, sharp noise rang out through her room. She immediately released the henge and threw the door open to see Hidan push her parcel off the bed and lazily flop onto it. She cringed.

"What the fuck are you looking at?" He snarled.

"What the fuck are you doing on my bed?" She countered.

"Observing. Have to know what you leaf pussies look like and act like so I can impersonate your ass."

"Ridiculous," Sakura muttered before turning into her bathroom again, "Hey, if you're gonna be in here, you might as well make yourself useful." She called from the bathroom.

Hidan ignored her, instead choosing to puncture her pillows will his scythe and drag them over to where he was laying.

Sakura walked out, in henge, and faced him. Looking up at her Hidan snorted before throwing his head back down on her pillow.

"So?"

"It's too nondescript, dumb ass. You look too plain to be an akatsuki member. How the fuck would anyone think you're part of the group? Take a look at every member we have, they all have some kind of quirk in appearance and ability. You look like any weak ass little medic from any weak ass hidden village. That's what they're looking for."

Sakura stalked back into the bathroom and faced her mirror. A few hand seals later, she walked back out. Purple eyes, pale skin, and a large scar stood out. Hidan nodded.

"And here I thought you were gonna change your damn hair color."

Sakura scoffed

"I'm not that stupid."

Hidan rolled his eyes and got up, feathers flying as his scythe pulled out of the pillow. To Sakura's surprise, he was silent when he exited the room. The sharp pound of the door slamming shut and his heavy footsteps resonated as Sakura released her henge.

Picking up the forgotten parcel, Sakura ripped the paper off. She first pulled out the cloak, which she threw to the bed. Next was the scroll. Carefully unrolling it, she laid it on the floor. The scroll was adorned with paintings of weapons. Beautifully crafted, true to life drawings of senbon, bladed fans, shuriken, and katana seemed to gleam in the light of her room. She turned back to her bed, grabbing the wrapping paper. On the interior were instructions for opening the weapons scroll.

Sakura read the instructions several times before attempting to open it. The first try, she missed a seal and the edges of the scroll began to singe. Akatsuki's security was impeccable, she noted.

The second try, the weapons began appearing. Sakura started by picking up the bladed fan. As large as her torso, the fan was difficult to wield. Hands shaking, she tried to emulate moves she'd seen from Temari of the Sand. The fan slipped in her fingers and nicked her forearm. She sighed in pure frustration, glaring at her battle wound. Sakura put the fan down and reached for the katana. Anbu-style, the sword was simple, light, and long. Too long, in fact. She had trouble just unsheathing the weapon. Sakura moved on to familiar weapons. She picked up a windmill shuriken, spinning it around and practicing stances. Caught up in her forms, she didn't notice a brief knock on her door.

"Haruno-san." A smooth, cool voice swept into her room.

Sakura put down the shuriken and opened her door. Itachi immediately strode past her.

"I'm here to see your henge. I've also decided that this room is suitable for any medical practice you plan on doing tonight."

"Yes, yes. I've been working on it a bit," Sakura nodded, "though I'm still working out the details."

Sakura made quick work of transforming. She, now in henged form, stared at Itachi with a look of satisfaction.

"Well?"

"It's almost too obvious, but that won't matter much. It's doubtful that you'll actually be pulled into battle. If, in any case, a Konoha nin intercepts us, it will undoubtedly target Hidan and I. Of course, you'll still need a weapon. Show me your choice."

Sakura nodded, grabbing the windmill shuriken.

"Good enough, I suppose. I'm going to assume you have experience with that particular weapon. If you do end up getting pulled into battle, be sure to rely on everything but your chakra control. If anyone sees any kind of skill with chakra, they will know it's you."

"I know," Sakura said, "I'm more worried about my fighting style. My taijutsu is very recognizable to anyone from Konoha."

"Then we'll just have to make sure you don't get put into that situation. I'll inform Kisame before we depart."

* * *

The air in the interrogation room felt stagnant to Tsunade. The room was dark, no windows adorned the walls, but a single lightbulb hung from the ceiling. The hard, concrete floor amplified the sound of her footsteps, echoing through the nearly empty room. She walked towards a table, set in the middle of the room. On one side sat Ibiki, cool as ever, an empty chair placed next to him. Tsunade couldn't see the face of the woman across from Ibiki, but could feel her tension. Waves of nervous energy saturated the room. Tsunade made her way to the empty chair and sat down, a steely expression plastered on her face. Rin Yamakishi looked to her for some kind of explanation, hope glistening in her eyes. Tsunade ignored her, instead choosing to focus on the several anbu entering the room.

"There is no need for you here," Tsunade said, "one of you may guard the entrance to this room, the rest are dismissed."

Wordlessly, the anbu complied, filing out of the room. Before exiting, one of them stepped forward and offered a scroll to Tsunade. Unrolling the scroll, she set it in front of herself and Ibiki.

"Shall we get started?"

Rin Yamakishi immediately stiffened, the hands in her lap wringing furiously. Ibiki stood and began walking around the room, his leisurely pace offsetting the thick tension in the room.

"Yamakishi, what is your relationship with Sakura Haruno?" Ibiki asked, almost conversationally.

"She's a talented medic. We don't speak much, but I deeply respect her." Rin's voice, frail and broken, carried through the room.

"She is. So talented, in fact, that it puts anyone else's medical skills to shame." Ibiki said.

Rin sat, silent.

"There must be a lot of tension between the medics. I would imagine even more with Sakura. She is the Hokage's apprentice, after all."

"We compete with each other, but there's no ill intent there."

"What is it that you all compete for?" Tsunade asked.

"Anything. Medic slots on anbu teams, promotions, anything that could give us a reputation boost," Rin stammered, "but we're all friendly with each other. We wouldn't take one of our own out to put ourselves ahead."

"Is that so?" Ibiki's face contorted into a deeply disturbing mix between a grimace and a smile. He walked back over to the table and reached for the scroll.

The door to the interrogation room flew open as Ibiki's fingertips touched the scroll. In a flash, Tsunade was up. A large man stood in the doorway, his chakra completely undetectable. He wore a long, black coat with a hood pulled down over his face. One look at him and Tsunade knew he was not one of her shinobi. He, though not visible, gave off an aura that Tsunade didn't recognize whatsoever. He was an outsider.

"Who are you?" Tsunade asked.

The man made no response, instead choosing to pull a katana out of his cloak. Ibiki grabbed some kunai out of his weapons pouch, ready for an attack. Tsunade pulled some chakra into her fist and made a move towards him. He evaded her move and ran towards Rin.

"Where the fuck are my anbu?" Tsunade shouted.

She turned just in time to see the man's katana go straight through Rin Yamakishi's chest. Rin choked, a little blood spilling out between her lips. She watched as he turned the blade and pulled it out, wiping it on his cloak. Before Tsunade could take another breath, the man was gone. The cloud of smoke that accompanied his disappearance disintegrated before her eyes.

"What the fuck was that?" Ibiki yelled, "We almost had her."

"I think that was the plan." She said.

Just seconds too late, several shinobi came running in. Tsunade addressed the few anbu among them.

"All anbu operatives in my office at once. Everyone else, see to putting this village on lockdown. I want nobody leaving, nobody entering. Send out the message. Bring me Shikamaru and some fucking sake."

* * *

**AN: This chapter was a lot longer, originally. Actually double this size. I decided to split it into two different chapters, for my own sake.**

**Also, I've got a little bit of a problem. I need a beta! I've lost touch with my current beta and need someone to help me out, if only for a little while.**  
**I'm a bit of an unreliable author, and I need someone that can keep up with me and my constant procrastination and extended deadlines.  
If you're interested, please PM or email me at my fanfiction related email, hellomysweetheart live . com **

**Anyway, I probably won't put out part two of this until I get a new beta, just because it's easier on my life. **


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